Does Watching Porn Make Straight Men More Pro Gay?

A sociologist who made headlines for publishing a controversial study, which many found flawed, that claimed children of gay parents were worse off than children of straight parents, is back in the spotlight for a new bizarre claim. He says that straight men who watch porn are more likely back same-sex marriage.

This is how Mark Regnerus, a sociology professor at the University of Texas, summarized his study on the website for the Witherspoon Institute, an organization that’s linked to the National Organization for Marriage: Porn "undermines the concept that in the act of sexual intercourse, we share our ’body and whole self ... permanently and exclusively.’ On the contrary, it reinforces the idea that people can share their bodies but not their inmost selves, and that they can do so temporarily and (definitely) not exclusively without harm."

He goes on to say that porn makes the viewer believe that sex has nothing to do with marriage, and this somehow leads to straight men accepting gay marriage. "Of the men who view pornographic material ’every day or almost every day,’" Regnerus writes, "54 percent ’strongly agreed’ that gay and lesbian marriage should be legal, compared with around 13 percent of those whose porn-use patterns were either monthly or less often than that."

The Texas professor does not discuss how porn impacts women. He claims, in fact, that "women typically aren’t as into porn as men are, and yet women in general tend to support same-sex marriage more readily than do men. A recent Gallup poll noted that 56 percent of women favor it, while only 42 percent of men do. No, this theory is not about women."

Earlier this year, social scientists and scholars slammed Regnerus’ anti-gay parenting study, in which he said that children of same-sex parents were worse off than children from straight parents. Some claimed that he violated ethical standards when researching the study, called "New Family Structures Study," and officials from the University of Texas, where Regnerus teaches, launched an investigation. The results, however, concluded the professor did not violate ethical standards nor break any rules.

The study surveyed about 3,000 18 to 39 year olds who were mostly raised by straight parents: 175 individuals said they had mothers who once had a same-sex relationship and 73 said their fathers were involved with someone of the same sex. The results claim that children from these parents are more likely to end up on welfare, be unemployed, and attend therapy as adults when compared to children from straight couples.

The initial study outraged LGBT rights organizations such as GLAAD, the Human Rights Campaign and Family Equality Council, calling the paper "flawed "flawed, misleading, and scientifically unsound." In November, the professor admitted that his controversial study was flawed but still supported his findings. He told Focus on the Family’s Citizen magazine that he would be more careful about the language he used in his findings in the future.

"I said ’lesbian mothers’ and ’gay fathers,’ when in fact, I don’t know about their sexual orientation; I do know about their same-sex relationship behavior." he said. "But as far as the findings themselves, I stand behind them."

Comments

Jeremy Vassago, 2012-12-27 02:34:44

I don’t understand why the university stands so much behind him.

Anonymous, 2012-12-27 04:53:50

Probably to cover their own asses...Had the professor been found guilty of wrong doing then the university might be liable. What they fail to realize is Mark Regnerus is an idiot and should be fired anyways. Having a Professor do such a misleading study where the outcome has more to do wih his personal agenda instead of science reflects poorly on the University!

Anonymous, 2012-12-27 05:55:52

Wait till his next study hits the news: Men who eat a well-balanced, healthier diet are more inclined to be gay... because well-formed, solid bowel movements acclimate their anus muscles to big, solid, exhilarating penis sized turds.

Anonymous, 2012-12-27 06:41:38

lmao Jed. Now what do we expect from the big hair capitol of the world Texas, consider the source.

Blondie , 2012-12-27 08:54:43

Jed. You now owe me $5.95. I’m in my favorite restaurant havibg breaky.. reading this article. . Come across your response. .. broke out into hardy laughter and a mouth full of eggs flew everywhere. LOLVERY WELL DONE... your joke, not the eggs. ;)

Anonymous, 2012-12-27 09:46:25

So if they want to change gays, they will make them watch straight porn?

Anonymous, 2012-12-27 10:11:50

Thanks and sorry.

Anonymous, 2012-12-27 12:02:01

This professor is probably in a sexless marriage. I wish Texas would secede already. The cumulative IQ of the US would climb ten points.

Wendell Wallace, 2012-12-27 16:19:11

Lmfao!! Jed switch careers and become a writer. That’s the best comment ever!

Billy Spilliard, 2012-12-28 15:14:42

I can’t stop laughing Jed. Become a comic writer. Still lmao

Anonymous, 2012-12-28 16:09:44

Thanks, but you really shouldn’t encourage my rogue behavior. It’s not constructive... as I’ve been advised by many teachers over the years.

Anonymous, 2012-12-28 16:48:55

Jed! Jed! Jed!

Josh Timm-Katz, 2012-12-29 05:46:26

BREAKING NEWS: Those who associate frequently with friends or family over 6’0" are more inclined and more likely to be tall. Yeah, ^ this makes more sense.

James Tibi, 2012-12-30 20:57:40

Most Texas schools are run by religious zealots who are more interested in distributing their beliefs even if they have been disproven by clinically and scientifically consistent processes.

Ken Johnson, 2012-12-31 01:32:23

Recently, this professor was fired for falsifying research data related to his bigoted views.

Jim Shea, 2013-01-03 15:20:51

Is homophobia associated with homosexual arousal? Adams HE, Wright LW Jr, Lohr BA. Source Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens 30602-3013, USA. Abstract The authors investigated the role of homosexual arousal in exclusively heterosexual men who admitted negative affect toward homosexual individuals. Participants consisted of a group of homophobic men (n = 35) and a group of nonhomophobic men (n = 29); they were assigned to groups on the basis of their scores on the Index of Homophobia (W. W. Hudson & W. A. Ricketts, 1980). The men were exposed to sexually explicit erotic stimuli consisting of heterosexual, male homosexual, and lesbian videotapes, and changes in penile circumference were monitored. They also completed an Aggression Questionnaire (A. H. Buss & M. Perry, 1992). Both groups exhibited increases in penile circumference to the heterosexual and female homosexual videos. Only the homophobic men showed an increase in penile erection to male homosexual stimuli. The groups did not differ in aggression. Homophobia is apparently associated with homosexual arousal that the homophobic individual is either unaware of or denies.

Blondie , 2013-01-03 19:23:10

Jim. I’m not sure what you wrote. But somehow, I find myself aroused! LOL THANKS FOR THAT! hehehehe

Jim Shea, 2013-01-03 19:31:00

Thanks to you too and actually I wrote none of the text but copied it right from the abstract of the research paper. I guess I felt like I had nothing to add and that the conclusion stood on its own merit. So if you encounter a homophobe you can ask him exactly what about you stimulates his erectile response. it’s a very intetesting research study which I would like to see duplicated and printed on the front page of every newspaper with nerve. Tx

Jim Shea, 2013-01-04 04:14:54

My German isn’t that good, but the preceding sounds like a sales pitch for a jacket available at an outlet, which makes as much sense as Regnereus’s research.

Anonymous, 2013-01-24 21:55:54

Omg I hate living in Texas the redneck population makes us all seem like idiots! Try living here ugh

A Texas professor who published a controversial study about gay parenting admitted his research is flawed but still stands by his findings that children from same-sex couples are worse off than children from straight parents.

The University of Texas found that a faculty member did not commit scientific misconduct when putting together a controversial parenting study that claimed children of gay parents were more prone to dysfunction as adults.